{"id":79854,"date":"2021-09-17T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/?p=79854"},"modified":"2021-09-24T06:49:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T06:49:52","slug":"65-years-of-bmw-503","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/en\/65-years-of-bmw-503\/","title":{"rendered":"65 Years of BMW 503"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the first two decades after World War 2, the BMW brand wasn’t doing particularly well. With the large 501 sedan and the microcar Isetta, the Munich brand had two fundamentally different model series in its lineup. In 1954, the range was expanded to include the 502, which combined the body of the 501 with the first German post-war V8 engine. This originally had 2.6 liters of displacement and 100 hp. In the following year, BMW technicians expanded the displacement to 3.2 liters, increasing power to 120 hp, and even to 140 hp in 1957. With the help of this engine, the commercial director at the time, Hanns Grewenig, planned a sports car. His colleague, chief engineer Kurt Donath, however, didn’t like the idea. In the end, Mr. Grewenig was able to convince BMW’s top management. And so the development work on the 503 started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premiere at the IAA 1955<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An initial design by Ernst Loof was rejected. Instead, Albrecht Graf von Goertz was commissioned. He also designed the two-seater roadster 507, which was developed in parallel at the request of US importer Max Hoffman. Both sports cars were exhibited at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) after a development period of around 18 months. There, both the trade public and the press, as well as ordinary visitors, were very taken with both models. From 1956 onwards, the 503 won gold medals at concours events in Rome, Lisbon, Cannes, Wiesbaden and Vienna. This was mainly due to the pleasing pontoon shape with prominently accentuated BMW kidney grille at the front. Next to the trunk lid were small, merely implied tail fins. In addition to the 2+2-seater Coup\u00e9, there was also a Cabriolet version. Both, however, came at relatively high prices. A townhouse cost just under twice as much at the time. The bodies came from Baur in Stuttgart.<\/p>\n\n\n

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